re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree?

Yes and no. If you kick arse in business and are up for a job next to a person with a business degree, I bet they take the French Lit person. It shows more ability, plain and simple.

I have a friend who's a very successful doctor and his undergrad is in English Lit. It just looks impressive to have a broad background and bring in a different perspective, especially if you can express that perspective well.

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 12:33 pm to Gaston)

Some great responses in this thread from the liberal arts side, for a change.

I'm a liberal arts grad, and I am fine with all the criticisms the business/engineering clones want to throw at me and my fellow liberal arts majors. We have done a poor job of demonstrating what it is that we are capable of, generally speaking.

But I will tell you this: you want to know where leaders come from? Liberal arts. Leaders are people with vision, people who can communicate and inspire. People who believe in big, noble ideas and expect other to as well. I would argue that right now our country and our world could use a few more people like that than yet another bean counter or valve turner.

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 12:40 pm to Freauxzen)

quote:Maybe then the hard-headed people (some in this thread) will realize that not only are liberal arts degrees necessary, but in some areas are far superior to an engineering degree

Completely agreed with you until this statement. An engineering degree shows all the critical thinking skills and provides a technical aspect (Or at least that's been a heavy focus in my engineering classes). Figuring out how to solve open ended problems where there isn't necessarily a right/wrong/black/white answer is crucial for any real world engineering decision. While I agree that LA degrees are necessary, and can help teach the skills required by most enterprises an engineering degree would always carry more weight.

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 1:01 pm to Hammertime)

quote:I explained to another poster about a senior project I sat in on. These kids spent 6 months designing something that was just flat out stupid and wouldn't work well. The only reason they thought it would was because the computer told them it was going to. I looked at the projector and within 5 seconds realized that it could be 100x better

Well no shite. You being out of school and actually working on things can do something better than students could? Alert the media.

I bet you were the a-hole that asked a bunch of questions that were way outside of the scope of what the professor wanted you to focus on.

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 1:22 pm to LNCHBOX)

quote:Well no shite. You being out of school and actually working on things can do something better than students could? Alert the media.

Actually back in school but I knew more than these kids at their age(I am 28). IMHO, it is just the way kids grow up nowadays. When something is broken, bring it to the shop or buy a new one. If you can't build it, buy it. They just don't get outside and do enough anymore. It is those real-world experiences that they are lacking. Breaking stuff and fixing it is not something they do. Taking apart something for fun and getting chewed out by dad for doing it isn't either.

Hell, my stepbrother has a grass cutting business and instead of listening how to fix a very basic motor he just sends it to the shop or waits for me to fix it. I mean, Jesus, it needs a new spark plug and clean air filter. How hard is that?

quote:I bet you were the a-hole that asked a bunch of questions that were way outside of the scope of what the professor wanted you to focus on.

Yes, it is hard for me to separate real life from theoretical. I am that a-hole

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 1:28 pm to BamaChemE)

quote:Completely agreed with you until this statement. An engineering degree shows all the critical thinking skills and provides a technical aspect (Or at least that's been a heavy focus in my engineering classes). Figuring out how to solve open ended problems where there isn't necessarily a right/wrong/black/white answer is crucial for any real world engineering decision. While I agree that LA degrees are necessary, and can help teach the skills required by most enterprises an engineering degree would always carry more weight.

quote:Maybe then the hard-headed people (some in this thread) will realize that not only are liberal arts degrees necessary, but in some areas are far superior to an engineering degree

That's the key statement there.

The general consensus, of many even in this thread, is that LA degrees are for coffee baristas and lame folks who can't cut it in science and math. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who should probably only be serving coffee, some of those people have engineering degrees too though.

An engineering degree doesn't automatically mean you did more work, it doesn't mean you're smarter than an LA degree holding person, and it doesn't mean you fit any job better, Except for maybe an engineering one. And even that is a stretch if you have the basics of math and, depending on your area, thermodynamics or physics down you can probably start at an entry level position and do fine with some on-the-job training.

quote:Figuring out how to solve open ended problems where there isn't necessarily a right/wrong/black/white answer is crucial for any real world engineering decision.

Figuring out how to solve open ended problems is a skill for a multitude of jobs, and I can guarantee that many LA degrees, including English, put a strong emphasis on open ended thinking. More so than Engineering.

quote:While I agree that LA degrees are necessary, and can help teach the skills required by most enterprises an engineering degree would always carry more weight.

And that's the problem. It shouldn't "just because it's engineering," that's a ridiculous belief to hold.

Anyone who believes this has no concept of

quote:open ended problems where there isn't necessarily a right/wrong/black/white answer

re: Would you hire a person who has a liberal arts degree? (Posted on 1/10/13 at 1:41 pm to Freauxzen)

It depends what the job is. Stupid thread. Would you not hire someone with an English lit degree who went to Amherst or Williams (or the plethora of other very good liberal arts schools out there) because its a liberal arts degree?